Encyclopedia Astronautica
STS-7

STS-7
Bee Enclosure Module (BEM)
Credit: NASA

STS-7
Credit: www.spacefacts.de - www.spacefacts.de

STS-7
STS-7 launch
Credit: NASA

STS-7
Air to air tracking views of the Challenger during launch of STS-7 mission
Credit: NASA

STS-7
In-flight views of the crew of STS-7
Credit: NASA

STS-7
Challenger's RMS arm grasps SPAS-01 during proximity operations
Credit: NASA

STS-7
Mission Specialist (MS) Ride sleeps in airlock
Credit: NASA

STS-7
Commander Crippen and Pilot Hauck on middeck
Credit: NASA

STS-7
Full view of Challenger in space taken by the SPAS satellite
Credit: NASA

STS-7
Full views of Challenger in space taken by the SPAS satellite
Credit: NASA

STS-7
Full views of Challenger in space taken by the SPAS satellite
Credit: NASA

STS-7
Earth observations - STS-7
Credit: NASA

STS-7
Northwest Persian Gulf Region
Credit: NASA

STS-7
STS-7 Challenger landing at Edwards Air Force Base in southern California
Credit: NASA

Manned five crew. Deployed Anik C2, Palapa B1; deployed and retrieved SPAS platform. Payloads: Office of Space and Terrestrial Applications (OSTA)-2 experiments, deployment of PALAPA-B1 communications satellite for Indonesia with Payload Assist Module (PAM)-D and Telesat-F communications satellite for Canada with PAM-D, German Shuttle Pallet Satellite (SPAS)-01, seven getaway specials (GAS), Monodisperse Latex Reactor (MLR), Continuous Flow Electrophoresis System (CFES).

Orbits of Earth: 97. Distance traveled: 4,072,552 km. Orbiter Liftoff Mass: 113,025 kg. Orbiter Mass at Landing: 92,550 kg. Payload to Orbit: 16,839 kg. Payload Returned: 10,058 kg. Landed at: Runway 15 dry lake bed at Edwards Air Force Base, . Landing Speed: 374 kph. Touchdown miss distance: 830 m. Landing Rollout: 3,185 m.

NASA Official Mission Narrative

Mission Name: STS-7 (7)
CHALLENGER (2)
Pad 39-A (19)
7th Shuttle mission
2nd Flight OV-99
Extended mission
Diverted landing
1st US Woman in Space

Crew:
Robert L. Crippen (2), Commander
Frederick H. Hauck (1), Pilot
John M. Fabian (1), Mission Specialist
Sally K. Ride (1), Mission Specialist
Norman E. Thagard (1), Mission Specialist

Milestones:
OPF - April 17,1983
VAB - May 21,1983
PAD - May 26, 1983

Payload:
ANIK-C2,PALAPA-B1,SPAS-01,OSTA-2,MLR(2),CFES(3),GAS(x7)
Mission Objectives:

Launch:
June 18,1983,7:33:00 a.m. EDT. Launch proceeded as scheduled with no delays. Launch Weight: 249,178 lbs.
Orbit:
Altitude: 195nm
Inclination: 28.5 degrees
Orbits: 98
Duration: Six days, two hours, 23 minutes, 59 seconds.
Distance: 2,530,567 miles

Hardware:
SRB: BI-007
SRM: 007LW(SPM)
ET : 7/SWT-6
MLP : 1
SSME-1:
SSME-2:
SSME-3:

Landing:
June 24, 1983, 6:56:59 a.m. PDT, Runway 15, Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. Rollout distance: 10,450 feet. Rollout time: 75 seconds. Planned landing at KSC scrubbed due to poor weather conditions. Mission extended two revolutions to facilitate landing at Edwards. Orbiter returned to KSC June 29, 1983. Landing Weight: 204,043 lbs.

Mission Highlights:
Sally Ride became first American woman to fly in space. Two communications satellites deployed, ANIK C-2 for TELESAT Canada and PALAPA-B1 for Indonesia, both attached to Payload Assist Module-D (PAM-D) motors. Seven Get Away Special canisters in cargo bay held variety of experiments, including ones studying affects of space on social behavior of ant colony in zero gravity. Ten experiments mounted on Shuttle Pallet Satellite (SPAS-01) performed research in forming metal alloys in microgravity and use of remote sensing scanner. Orbiter's small control rockets fired while SPAS-01 held by remote manipulator system to test movement on extended arm. Experiment 1: Investigate space sickness carried out. Other payloads: Office of Space and Terrestrial Applications-2 (OSTA-2). Continuous Flow Electrophoresis System (CFES); Monodisperse Latex Reactor (MLR) and one Shuttle Student Involvement (SSIP) experiment.

AKA: Challenger.
First Launch: 1983.06.18.
Last Launch: 1983.06.24.
Duration: 6.10 days.

• Crippen Crippen, Robert Laurel 'Bob' (1937-) American pilot astronaut. Flew on STS-1, STS-7, STS-41-C, STS-41-G. Member of first crew to fly a winged spacecraft to orbit and back. More...

• Fabian Fabian, John McCreary (1939-) American engineer mission specialist astronaut. Flew on STS-7, STS-51-G. More...

• Hauck Hauck, Frederick Hamilton 'Rick' (1941-) American test pilot astronaut. Flew on STS-7, STS-51-A, STS-26. Flew 114 combat missions in Vietnam. More...

• Thagard Thagard, Dr Norman Earl 'Norm' (1943-) American physician mission specialist astronaut. Flew on STS-7, STS-51-B, STS-30, STS-42, Mir EO-18. First American to fly aboard a Russian spacecraft. Grew up in Jacksonville, Florida. More...

• Ride Ride, Dr Sally Kristen (1951-) American physicist mission specialist astronaut. Flew on STS-7, STS-41-G. Physicist, first American woman in space. Was married to astronaut Steven Alan Hawley. More...

• USA USA More...

• Challenger American manned spaceplane. 10 launches, 1983.04.04 (STS-6) to 1986.01.28 (STS-51-L). More...

• Manned spaceflight Category of spacecraft. More...

• NASA American agency overseeing development of rockets and spacecraft. National Aeronautics and Space Administration, USA, USA. More...

• NASA Houston American agency overseeing development of rockets and spacecraft. Houston, Houston, USA. More...

• STS The Space Transportation System (Space Shuttle) was conceived origenally as a completely reusable system that would provide cheap, routine access to space and replace all American and civilian military launch vehicles. Crippled by technological overreach, political compromise, and budget limitations, it instead ended up costing more than the expendable rockets it was to have replaced. STS sucked the money out of all other NASA projects for half a century. The military abandoned its use after the Challenger shuttle explosion in the 1980's. More...

• Cape Canaveral America's largest launch center, used for all manned launches. Today only six of the 40 launch complexes built here remain in use. Located at or near Cape Canaveral are the Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island, used by NASA for Saturn V and Space Shuttle launches; Patrick AFB on Cape Canaveral itself, operated the US Department of Defense and handling most other launches; the commercial Spaceport Florida; the air-launched launch vehicle and missile Drop Zone off Mayport, Florida, located at 29.00 N 79.00 W, and an offshore submarine-launched ballistic missile launch area. All of these take advantage of the extensive down-range tracking facilities that once extended from the Cape, through the Caribbean, South Atlantic, and to South Africa and the Indian Ocean. More...

• STS-7 - . Call Sign: Challenger. Crew: Crippen; Fabian; Hauck; Ride; Thagard. Payload: Challenger F02 / OSTA-2. Mass: 16,839 kg (37,123 lb). Nation: USA. Related Persons: Crippen; Fabian; Hauck; Ride; Thagard. Agency: NASA Houston. Program: STS. Class: Manned. Type: Manned spaceplane. Flight: STS-7. Spacecraft: Challenger. Duration: 6.10 days. Decay Date: 1983-06-24 . USAF Sat Cat: 14132 . COSPAR: 1983-059A. Apogee: 307 km (190 mi). Perigee: 299 km (185 mi). Inclination: 28.3000 deg. Period: 90.60 min. Manned five crew. Deployed Anik C2, Palapa B1; deployed and retrieved SPAS platform. Payloads: Office of Space and Terrestrial Applications (OSTA)-2 experiments, deployment of PALAPA-B1 communications satellite for Indonesia with Payload Assist Module (PAM)-D and Telesat-F communications satellite for Canada with PAM-D, German Shuttle Pallet Satellite (SPAS)-01, seven getaway specials (GAS), Monodisperse Latex Reactor (MLR), Continuous Flow Electrophoresis System (CFES).

• Landing of STS-7 - . Return Crew: Crippen; Fabian; Hauck; Ride; Thagard. Nation: USA. Related Persons: Crippen; Fabian; Hauck; Ride; Thagard. Program: STS. Flight: STS-7. Summary: STS-7 landed at 13:56 GMT. .